Nashville Sounds Baseball Game

On Sunday night, we attended the Nashville Sounds Game to help kickoff the 2011 American Heart Association's Heart Walk. Our team, Little Heart Heroes, will not be able to participate in the actual walk this year, so we were excited to go and be a part of this event. We got to sit on the Home Run Deck, eat great food, visit with other members of the Heart Walk Committee, and watch our kids run, dance, and play. We had a really fun time!

Cain, Brody, Callie, and Colby

Brody's 5th Birthday!

Brody turned 5 years old on Monday, August 22nd! He was so excited that he got to go to school on his birthday! On Sunday night, he helped me make some birthday cupcakes for all his friends. He knew exactly what he wanted too...chocolate cupcakes, green icing, and star sprinkles. According to Ms. Jennifer, the kids loved them!

After school, we came home for a short nap before Brody's 4:00 swim lesson. We had just enough time after swimming to come home for a snack and to play with his neighborhood friends for a few minutes before his first soccer practice of the season. Brody had a great practice. His coach and teammates are all very nice, and Brody had a lot of fun kicking the ball around again. He had a tough time choosing between baseball and soccer for the fall, but I think he will be happy with choosing soccer.

When soccer practice ended, we were ready for dinner!! As always, the boys get to choose on their special days. Surprisingly, Brody chose the same restaurant Colby chose on his birthday...Blue Coast Burrito followed by Maggie Moo's. So, we had a repeat of Colby's birthday, and it was delicious!

Brody had a very busy, but great birthday! When we were leaving for school, I told him how I couldn't believe he was already five and it kind of made me sad to see him so big. He couldn't have said anything more perfect when he replied, "I'm still your baby though!" I love this sweet boy!!!

Happy Birthday Brody! We love you so much and are very proud of you! You have been through a lot over the last few years with Colby's appointments, hospital stays, surgeries, etc, and you have handled it with a maturity unheard of for a five year old! I thank God every day for you, your health, your happiness, your maturity, your spirit, your compassion, your love for all those around you, and your smile! Your smile always brightens my day!!

Wilson County Fair

Last Thursday night, my sister, my mom, and I took Brody, Colby, Harper, and Darbye to the Wilson County Fair. I am so happy that Brody and Colby have 4 cousins close to their ages to grow up with! They always love doing things with Harper and Darby and Emilee and Kylee. It is so much fun to watch them with their cousins too. I hope that they stay friends for life!

The fair was a lot of fun! We stayed in the kids' section the whole time, since the kids are still so small. Poor Colby got upset several times when he couldn't ride something because of his height. I even tried to explain to one of the workers that he really is 3, and he can't help being so short. It did no good, though! He was still denied!! We just had to search for rides that he was tall enough for, which was only a few. Luckily, he has a big brother and 2 very sweet cousins that did not mind at all! They were all just happy to be there together!

Colby's 3 year Well Visit

I took Colby for his 3 year well visit with Dr. Hudson yesterday. I think it was the easiest and most positive appointment Colby has ever had! It was fabulous!!!

Colby is doing great with his development. The only thing he is still a little behind on is a couple of his gross motor skills...jumping and walking steps. Dr. Hudson reminded me to put the steps into perspective. Colby is tackling steps at the size of an 18 month old. It is obviously going to be harder for him to climb them when the step comes up so high on his leg. It's like a mountain to him!!

His size is obviously still small, but he continues to grow right along his growth curve. He hasn't reached the growth chart yet, but that doesn't concern Dr. Hudson at all. As long as he is growing proportionally, he is fine! His weight actually jumped up a little more than his curve called for. Most kids don't gain much weight between 2 and 3, but Colby gained 4 lbs!!! He is now 23 lbs and 32 1/2 inches tall!!

As Dr. Hudson was examining Colby, he read the shirt Colby was wearing, "Loud and in Charge." My mom gave him this shirt for his birthday. Dr. Hudson said, "well, that pretty much sums him up doesn't it?" Yes, it does!!! He is full of life, personality, love, and he is definitely in charge of every situation!! God is good!!

Colby's First Day of Preschool

I can't even believe it myself, but Colby started Preschool on Tuesday!!!! This is more proof of how far we have come in the last three years!! We are past all of his surgeries, so Jason and I feel better about him being in a school environment with all of those germs. It is obviously still not good for him to get sick, but I think his heart is more able to handle an illness now. It's funny to think that about 6 months ago, we were dealing with Colby refusing to go into Sunday School at church. He would just cry and scream until we let him stay with us. He went through some major separation issues!! I'm so glad we are past that now, and he actually loves being in a classroom with other kids his age without me!

Colby was so excited about starting school Tuesday. I think he felt like a big kid going to the same school as Brody. When I dropped him off, he gave me a hug and kiss and then said, "Be right back?" He asks this every time Jason or I leave him for any amount of time. As long as we say, "Yes, we will be right back," he is happy and ready to play!



He is very proud of his new Cars 2 backpack that he picked out!! He insisted that I take a picture of it.

Brody was so funny on the way to school. I think he was a little worried about Colby starting Preschool. He kept giving him tips and going over rules. He told Colby, "no hitting your friends, share, and if somebody hits you, you go tell the teacher!" Ha!!! I love listening to their conversations!

Colby had a great first day of school!! His teachers, Ms. Sharon and Ms. Patty, are fabulous! I think he is going to have an awesome year and learn a lot!!

Party for the Rock Stars

On Saturday, we celebrated Brody and Colby's Birthdays with a Rock Star Party! They both love music and dancing, so this theme was perfect for them this year! I've realized that their list of friends to invite continues to grow with each year, so we had to limit them this year to family, neighbors, and only a couple of friends from school or swim team. We ended up with a good number of guests, and the boys had an amazing time!! We hope everyone else had as much fun as we did!

Brody and Colby were so eager to open their presents, so Jason and I let them open their present from us before the party started. They were super excited to unwrap their very own Ipod Touches!!

The kids had a great time playing in the pool, on the water slide (thank you Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Tammy for letting us borrow it!), on the playground, and playing "music" with their rock star instruments.

After pizza, it was time for cake! Colby loved hearing everybody sing "Happy Birthday" to him and getting to blow out the candles.

Brody was so excited when it was finally time for him to open his presents! Thank you for all of the great gifts that the boys received. They LOVE everything!!! These are 2 very happy boys!!

Pinata time!!! Jason was very brave (or not very smart) to hold the pinata with 2-6 year olds swinging the bat!! Brody put a small hole in it on his first swing, but luckily, it held up for everybody to get a swing or two in before it finally busted open.